Plastic tensioning lever of a buckletype fastening device for ski and mountaineering shoes



6C. 15, 1970 BASQ 3,546,751

PLASTIC TENSIONING LEVER OF A BUCKLE-TYPE FASTENING DEVICE FOR SKI AND MOUNTAINEERING SHOES Filed Dec. 6, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 TE 2 F g.5

INVEN TOR. 106/6 5/60 zwagw Dec. 15, 1970 BASO 3,546,751

PLASTIC TENSIONING LEVER OF A BUCKLE-TYPE FASTENING DEVICE FOR SKI AND MOUNTAINEERING SHOES Filed Dec. 6, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. 1 06/5 54 $0 am VWZW Dec. 15, 1970 BASO 3,546,751

. PLASTIC TENSIONING LEVER OF A BUCKLE-TYPE FASTENING DEVICE FOR SKI AND MOUNTAINEERING SHOES Filed Dec. 6, l968 3 Sheets-$heet 3 INVENTOR. 105/6 5/130 United States Patent 3,546,751 PLASTIC TENSIONING LEVER OF A BUCKLE- TYPE FASTENING DEVICE FOR SKI AND MOUNTAINEERING SHOES Loris Baso, Corso Milano 19, Padua, Italy Filed Dec. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 781,863 Claims priority, application Italy, Dec. 16, 1967,

23,982/67; Sept. 24, 1968, 21,619/ 68 Int. Cl. A43c 11/14 US. CI. 24-70 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tensioning lever for ski boots and mountaineering shoes wherein the lever is composed of a metal coated with plastic.

This invention relates to a plastic tensioning lever for a buckle-type fastening device for ski and mountaineering shoes. Tensioning levers for such buckle-type fastening devices have so far been made of aluminum or sheet steel and thereby have the disadvantage of a relatively heavy weight and are more expensive to manufacture. Attempts to make such tensioning levers of a suitable, injectable plastic, have not been successful since plastic tensioning levers do not provide the necessary strength. Thus the basic purpose of this invention is to produce a tensioning lever which substantially consists of plastic and which has the necessary strength requirements. Furthermore, the basic purpose of this invention is to produce a plastic tensioning lever which has a satisfactory appearance and which is also protected against damage, in particular damage by ski edges.

The tensioning lever of the invention comprises an elongated metal member, or core, of any of several desired cross-sectional profiles, which core extends in longitudinal direction of the lever and consists of sheet metal. at least substantially enveloped by an injectable plastic. The height of the metal core corresponds approximately to the height of the cross section of the tensioning lever. The upper portion of the metal core is thereby, according to the invention, on the outside and is visible so that the plastic tensioning lever is protected against mechanical damage by ski edges or the like and, furthermore, the tensioning lever has a good appearance by means of the metal back.

Embodiments of the invention are described in detail hereinafter and are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a tensioning lever fastening device on a ski shoe with a toothed plastic tensioning lever embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the tensioning lever;

FIG. 3 is a top view;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view;

FIG. 5 is a side-elevational View of the metal core of said tensioning lever;

FIG. 6 is a top view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side-elevational view of the plastic tensioning lever in a modified embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line VIII VIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the tensioning lever of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side-elevational view of a plastic tensioning lever in a modified embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side-elevational view of the metal core of said modified tensioning lever;

FIG. 13 is a top view of a piece of sheet metal which is used for the manufacture of the metal core according to FIG. 12;

3,546,751 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 FIG. 14 is a tensioning lever fastening device for ski shoes in a modified embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the overlapping instep portions of a ski shoe are identified at 1 and 2. A bearing block 3 is secured to the one instep portion, a tensioning lever 5 being supported pivotably about the axis 4 on said bearing block. The tensioning lever 5- has several teeth 6. An anchor plate 7 is secured to the other instep portion, a clamping loop 8 being pivotably supported on said anchor plate 7. The clamping loop 8 can engage at its free end 9 a tooth gap of the tensioning lever 5.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 2 to 6, the plastic tensioning lever 5 has a metal core 10 consisting of sheet metal, which core is coated with plastic 11. This metal core 10 has a rectangular cross section extending the entire length of the tensioning lever 5. Said core can be punched out of sheet metal in a simple manner and can be advantageously manufactured out of hardened sheet steel. Thus, said metal core 10 can be very thin. For example, its thickness needs to be only 1.5 mm, or only a fraction or /5 of the total width b (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the tensioning lever to provide same with a high level of strength. The metal core has a plurality of teeth 13 which carry the heavy stress of the tensioning lever 8. In order to assure a solid adherence of the plastic coat 11 to the core 10, said core comprises a plurality of holes 12 into which the plastic penetrates during the injection process.

If necessary, a metal tube 15 can be inserted into the pivot bore 14 of the metal core 10, which metal tube 15 is used as a support for the axis 4 of the bearing block 3. The bearing head 16 of the tensioning lever is reinforced by means of said metal tube 15. In other words, a still better and more stable support of the tensioning lever on the axis 4 is obtained by means of said metal tube 15.

The sheet metal core 10 illustrated in FIGS. -5 and 6 is inserted into an injection or pressure die. The core has for this purpose at its ends short extensions 17, 18 which are used to hold the core in the die and which are cut off after finish.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 9 or 10, 11, the upper portion 26 or 29 of the metal core is on the outside of the lever and is visible. This does not only result in a very good appearance of the plastic lever but same is also protected against damages by the ski edges and the like. The upper portion 26 or 29 of the metal core can, for this purpose, project slightly above the upper surface 27 of the plastic lever.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9, there is provided a sheet steel core 10 of the construction of FIGS. 5, 6. A smaller metal core 26 having a U profile is placed on said core 10, which core 26 can be made of nickel-coated or chrome-plated brass.

A very simple and advantageous embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 13. Here a metal core having a U profile is provided, the web 29 of said metal core being.

visible on the upper side of the lever 27 and the legs 28 of said metal core extending through the entire cross-sectional height h of the plastic lever. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a very close and rigid connection of the legs 28 with the plastic coat 11 is obtained, said coating enclosing said legs from the inside and from the outside. Said U core 28, 29 can be punched out of a relatively thin sheet metal, namely, according to FIG. 13, of one piece of sheet metal 30 which is then bent at the center line 31 into the pattern according to FIGS. 11 and 12. Said U core can advantageously be manufactured of nickel-coated sheet steel. Also, in the embodiment of FIGS. 10, 11, the metal core extends over the entire length of the plastic lever.

At a relatively small weight, said new plastic tensioning lever has a very high strength. It has furthermore the advantage that the tensioning lever," with the plastic coating, can be manufactured in various colors and thus meets also the many style requirement of womens skiing equipment.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. That is, the tensioning lever of the invention can also be used in other tensioning lever closing devices for ski shoes, for example, also in a fastening device according to FIG. 14. Here a clamping loop 20 is pivoted to a tensioning lever 5a at 19. The clamping loop 20 is hingedly connected to a clamping loop 22 by means of a clip 21. The clamping loop 22 can engage the teeth 23 of a tooth plate 24 which is secured to the instep portion 1.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A plastic tensioning lever of a buckle-type fastening device for ski and mountaineering shoes, comprising a metal profile core consisting-of sheet metal which extends in a longitudinal direction, an injectable plastic at least substantially enveloping said metal profile core, the height of said metal profile core corresponding approximately to the cross-sectional height of the tensioning lever.

2. A tensioning lever according to claim L'Wherein the metal profile core has a small thickness which is only a fraction of the Width of the tensioning lever.

3. A tensioning lever according to claim 2,-whe,rein

the metal profile core has ,a rectangular cross section and Ya plurality of holes for the penetration of plastic;

7.'A tensioning lever according to claim wherein the metal profile core extends, over the entire-lengthof the tensioning lever.

-References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS- 8/19 67 Lubian 24-70sr 9/ 1968 Tresenreit'er 24'70 SK DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

